Will we ever see David Wright on the field again? Even The Captain is starting to doubt his eventual return to the New York Mets.
We hope we pray, but in the end, we have no control over the outcome of the circumstances surrounding us all. For David Wright, the last three years have been an overwhelming waterfall of uncertainty. Many of us have held out hope that we haven’t seen the last of the franchise cornerstone, but even “The Captain” is starting to question his future.
Before hosting his annual Vegas Night to benefit the Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters in Virginia, Wright addressed the media and had this to say:
“It really hurts to say this, but I obviously can’t be relied on to go out there and do what I’ve done throughout my career. That is a tough thing to say.”
“The surgeries are obviously serious stuff, but it just kind of plays with your mind mentally, where you don’t know how your body’s going to hold up. You don’t know how you’re going to feel a month from now. You don’t know how you’re going to feel a couple weeks from now. You’re hoping that it continues to get better, but you just don’t know.”
“Everything is a concern for me. I haven’t progressed to the point where I’ll know how it feels to throw a baseball until we get closer to spring. I certainly don’t know how the back is going to hold up.”
Wright has been plagued by injuries and complications stemming from his diagnosis of spinal stenosis in 2015. Along with surgeries to repair his right rotator cuff, remove bone spurs, and a herniated disk in his lower back, the former All-Star has been limited to 75 games over the past three seasons.
A shadow of his former self, Wright has gone from the media-friendly face of this franchise to shying away from reporters and keeping to himself when media members are inhabiting Citi Field. The Captain is still due $47 million over the duration of his contract, but the Mets have recouped a large portion of through insurance.
Wright has always maintained a positive outlook and remained committed to his rehabilitation, but this change signals that the end may actually be very near. With his desire to give back to the community and growing family, we may soon see The Captain hang up his cleats permanently. It all depends on whether his continued rehabilitation efforts will impact his long-term quality of life.
Thankfully, the once superstar third baseman hasn’t given up all hope and dismisses the notion of retirement at the moment.
“When the end comes, the end comes,” Wright told MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo. “Hopefully, I’ve got a little more left. But I guess that’s to be determined.”
